Car-coupling



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

L. GEOFF.

GAR. COUPLING.

No. 456,562. Patented July 28, 1891.

I WJn ew (No Model.) 2 SheetsShe't 2.:

L. GEOFF.-

GAR COUPLING.

No. 456,562. Patented July 28, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LLEYVELLYN GROFF, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,562, dated July 28,1891. Application filed November 10, 1890. Serial No. 370,925. (Nomodel.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LLEWELLYN GEOFF, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Oar-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to that class of automatic car-couplers known astwin jaws, all the parts of which are right and left duplicates of eachother, and has for its obj ect. to provide an improved construction.

A ear-coupler embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

Therein, like letters referring to like parts throughout, Figure 1 is aview, partly in plan and partly in section, showing the jaws in theircoupled position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the jaws in itsuncoupled position, some of the parts being broken away and thecoupling-hook opened upward to its limit. Fig. 3 is a right sideelevation of the parts shown in Fig. l, detached from the car. Fig. 4 isa vertical cross-section on the line X X of Fig. 1, looking toward thecar. Fig. 5 is a front view of the locking-pin detached, with a partbroken away; and Fig. 6 is a left side view of the same.

A represents part of the car-frame.

Bis the draw-bar, and O C are the jaws constituting the coupling-headhaving the curved buffer-surface c.

D is the coupling-hook, having the nosepiece cl and the tail-piece d.

E is the pivot-pin or journal seeming the couplinghook to the jaws C.

F is the locking-pin.

The parts so far described are all of a common and Well-knownconstruction.

I will now describe my improvements.

The tail-piece d of the coupling-hook is provided with the wedge-shapedsurface (I on its top face, as is best shown in Fig. 4E. The outervertical face of this tail-piece is also inclined or wed ge-shaped, asshown at (Z in Fig. 4. v

The locking-pin is provided with a square shoulder f on its front face,with which the wedge-surface (Z on the tail-piece co-operates to liftthe pin in the coupling movement. The locking-pin is also cut away onits face at an angle from the right to the left side, as shown at f, forthe passage or clearance of the tail-piece. The left side face of thelocking-pin .is also provided with an inclined surface f foroo-operation with the inclined surface d on the heel-piece. of thelocking-pin is provided with a vertical slot, as shown at f. The jaw Cis also provided with a corresponding slot f.

G G is a sectional lifting-lever, the two parts of which are united by aelevis-like joint g. The outer arm or section G of this lever is pivotedto the frame A by horizontal pivot-pin g. The end of the inner arm ofthe lifting-lever passes through the slot f in the jaw G and worksfreely in the slot f in the locking-pin. It will be seen that thislifting-lever is pivoted to swing in the vertical plane on the pivot-ping,while the inner section G is permitted a pivotal motion with referenceto the outer section G lengthwise of the car.

H is a crank-shaped latch attached to the frame A for holding the innerend of the lever G G in its uppermost position. It should be furthernoted that the tail-piece cl of the coupling-hook has a vertical surface(1* on its back, which bears against a corresponding vertical face c 011the inside of the jaw C.-

The operation and advantages of these special features are as follows:The shoulder on the locking-pin being square and the top surface on theheel-piece wedge-shaped will render the cam-like action of thecoupling-hook effective to lift the pin without any jar and with theminimum of friction and power. Hitherto the shoulder on the locking-pinhas been reversely inclined to correspond with the inclined surface ontheheel-piece. Hence in the coupling action the two parts were throwntogether with a slam, with resulting jar and great wear and tear, alsoinvolving an element of uncertainty as to whether or not the pin wouldbe lifted. The advantage of the inclined surface f on the left side facein co-operat-ion with the inclined surface (i on the heel-piece is thatit enables the locking-pin to take up all the clearance and 10st motionbetween thelocking-pin and the inner The right side face,

face of the jaw 0, thus keeping the heel-piece in a constantposition,avoiding play and the wear and tear which would otherwiseresult from the Wabbling motion of the tail-piece. These two inclinedsurfaces also give another advantageviz., that the locking-pin can belifted, if so desired, when the tail-piece is under strain; in otherwords, when the car is in motion. The relation of the slots f and 10 fenables the liftingdever to limit the downaction.

ward motion of the locking-pin, holding the same in the proper positionfor the coupling The advantage of pivoting thislifting-lever in thevertical plane is that all danger to the operator is thereby avoided.There is no angular projection from the ends of the car. The advantageof the sectional construction and the clevis-joint is that it permitsthe lever to adapt itself to the in-andout motion of the draw-bar. Ofcourse it is obvious that when the locking-pin has been raised to itsuppermost position it may be held at that point by throwing the latchover the outer arm of the lifting-lever.

The general operation of the coupling-h ooks is obvious and wellunderstood. The two hooks will close together in any and all positionsin which they may happen to be left,

excepting oneviz., when the heel-pieces should both be locked in theirinnermost'positions.

For the use of this coupler with the ordinary link and pin eachcoupler-hook is provided with a perforation K in its nose (1 for theapplication of an ordinary coupling-pin.

That I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is as follows:

1. The combination, with the locking-pin, 0f the hand-lever for liftingthe same, pivoted to swing in the vertical plane and constructed in twosections united betweenithe pivot and V

